The Lives We Live
by Little-Lost-Neko
Summary: While on a late night pizza run Mikey comes across a young woman being captured by the Foot. What is a turtle to do? Save her of course. He never could have guessed the life she lead and how the Shredder was just as much her enemy as theirs. Will their two family be able to pull together to take down New York's devil? Rating just to be safe (cursing, violence, crude humor). 2003


**This is my first fanfiction so please be gentle with any reviews or criticism. This takes place in the 2003 universe but they have the weapons from the 2012 series. I might mix a few other things but for now that's it.**

**I don't own anything aside from the plot and OCs. If I did then Mikey would be mine forever!**

Michelangelo opened his eyes and glared at the alarm clock screeching in his ear. Pushing his face into his pillow with an irritated moan he reached out blindly with his hand to hit the snooze button. Sighing in satisfaction when he finally smacked the button he prepared to be welcomed back into Sleepy-vile. His stomach, however, had other plans as it unleashed a hungry growl. Letting out another sigh, Mikey pushed his covers off and began putting on his pads and mask. Standing up he tucked his nunchaku into his belt and stretched till his body felt awake and alert. Satisfied with his morning ritual, he opened his bedroom door and headed down to the kitchen.

He couldn't help but smile as he passed Raph's room, hearing the chainsaw like snores of his older brother. Continuing to the kitchen he stopped briefly to look into Donny's room. His smile grew as he saw the steady rise and fall of his brother's chest signifying he was deep asleep. The brainy turtle had been up for days working on one of his projects and it had taken everything out of Mikey's bag of tricks to finally get his immediate older brother to head to his room for some sleep. Satisfied with himself he continued his journey to food, passing Leo's empty room.

_No surprise there. _

Leo was always up early to get a few hours of meditation in with Master Splinter before they trained. It was something that Michelangelo had always wished he'd been better at. But sitting around for hours doing nothing but 'calming the mind' was a difficult task for him. His mind was always bouncing around, much like himself, full of energy. He couldn't find a way to calm his mind for very long before thoughts started to flood back in.

Finishing the trek to the kitchen, Mikey began pulling out the pans to start making breakfast for his family. It was no secret that he had a natural gift when it came to cooking and the kitchen was his domain, even Raph acknowledged that. Turning on the stove he began frying the bacon and cracked eggs into a separate pan to start omelets. He quickly reached over and started the coffee maker, knowing full well what Don would be seeking, and placed the tea kettle on the stove as well for Master Splinter and Leo.

In a matter of minutes Don walked into the kitchen stretching his arms above his head.

"Hey bro, sleep well?" Mikey didn't look away from the omelet he was flipping.

Donny immediately went to the coffee maker sniffing in deeply at his life energy before letting out a content sigh. "Like a college kid on vacation."

Mikey snorted while sliding the first omelet onto a plate with some bacon for Don. He sat the plate on the table while Don filled a mug with coffee. Moving to the table, Don sat in front of the plate and took a bite of omelet. "Great, as always."

A grin crossed Mikey's face as he prepared a second omelet. "What do you expect from. . . The BATTLE NEXUS CHAMPION!" He did a small fist pump before returning to the task at hand.

Don let out an irritated groan but smiled at Mikey's back. "That has nothing to do with cooking."

"And what do you know about being a college kid on vacation?"

Don chuckled and sipped his coffee. "Touché."

Don and Mike chatted contently until Leo and Master Splinter entered the kitchen. Splinter immediately grabbed the tea kettle, thanking Michelangelo before pouring him and Leo a cup. As the oldest family members took their seats, Raph came into the room yawning loudly.

"Look who's finally up."

Raph mumbled incoherently and took a seat at the table next to Don. Balancing the remaining four plates on his arms, Mikey walked to the table and placed one in front of his other two brothers and Sensei and one for himself.

Leo smiled. "Thanks Mike."

"Yes, thank you my son."

Raph simply began stuffing his face waving dismissively at Mikey, who in turn accepted it and sat down with his family for breakfast. It passed quickly in amusement and ended with Raphael chasing Mikey out of the kitchen, the later screaming like a girl. Shortly after, Don and Leo finished the dishes and went about their business for an hour before morning training.

* * *

Leah opened one eye and stared at her sensei who sat across from her. Both of them were in the lotus position meditating after their morning training session. It was basically a ritual that every morning she woke up at six, trained with her sensei for two hours, meditated for another two, then went to school for her first class that started at eleven thirty. But don't let that fool you, she was a night owl and hated waking up early. Even after years of following the same ritual she still hadn't become accustomed to it. Swallowing she gained her nerve to speak up.

"Um, sensei?" She watched his face carefully trying to gauge his reaction. "It's time for me to go." She opened both eyes and frowned at his unresponsive face. _I hate it when he does this._ Slowly standing up she watched his face the whole time, her body tense waiting for his reaction. As soon as she made a move to step past him his eyes flew open and in the same instance he swung out his right leg smacking her feet out from under her. Thinking fast and having expected him to do something, as soon as she hit the ground on her back she moved into a kip-up dodging the other kick he had sent towards her prone form. Jumping back a few feet she entered a defensive stance as he rose to his feet.

Smiling at her response to his attack he bowed signaling the end of their session. Leah smiled and returned the bow standing straight as he approached her.

"You did well today." He patted her head as he passed before she turned and followed him out of the dojo trotting so she walked next to him.

"Thanks Renji-san."

As soon as they left the dojo they're relationship changed drastically. In the dojo he was her sensei, and her superior. But as soon as they left he was nothing more than her humble servant and protector, but most importantly, her friend. Leah's father, Desmond Cruso, was a well-known gang lord from the dark underbelly of New York. But he wasn't your typical gang leader nor was his gang normal. His gang, The Faceless, targeted other rival gangs and government agencies, not civilians. In fact, her father strived to make peace in the city, which he could only see happening with one major power that put the rest down. As such, he had many enemies that would do anything to stop him, and being his only child she was a prime target. Renji Katsuro was an old friend of her father and had dedicated his life to serving him after Desmond had saved his family on one of his trips to Japan. And so began Renji and Leah's relationship when she was only four. He was completely dedicated to her martial arts training, schooling, and welfare.

Reaching the section of the hall that split into two separate paths she quickly turned and ran down the left one. "See ya later Renji." Moving quickly she entered her room and began preparing for the school day ahead of her.

* * *

Mikey was reading his newest silver sentry comic for the third time when Raph knocked on his door signaling for him to come down for their evening training run/patrol. Setting his precious baby on his dresser he jumped up and headed downstairs to join his brothers.

"Oh, hey sensei. You coming too?" Mikey approached Master Splinter who was standing with his brothers at the elevator entrance.

"Yes Michelangelo. I believe I require a good stretch and some fresh air."

"Good luck finding that in New York, Sensei." Mikey chuckled at his own small joke as his brothers just rolled their eyes.

"Knucklehead." Raph punched Mikey's arm before they all entered the elevator to begin their patrol.

Once outside and away from the garage they quickly moved to the nearest fire escape and climbed to the roof tops. Grinning at a chance of mischief, Mikey bolted ahead looking back at his family.

"Last one to the corner of Laird and Eastman is a shell brain!" Dashing ahead he jumped from roof to roof doing as many unnecessary flips as possible. Raph let out a low growl at the challenge and bolted after his youngest brother.

"Yer on Mike!"

Looking at Leo and Master Splinter, Don just shrugged and took off after his brothers. Leo sighed at his brothers' antics but Master Splinter just laughed. It was nice to see his sons so happy and carefree, their world rarely allowed for such things.

Leo and Splinter had quickly caught up with the rest of their family, though Mikey still held the lead, much to Raph's dismay. Thing were going smoothly till Mikey stopped suddenly and looked over the edge of a building. Raph barely managed to stop himself from slamming into Mikey and Don bumped into his hot head brother lightly. Leo and Splinter, of course, had no issues on avoiding the potential turtle pile up.

"The hell ya stop for!" Mikey didn't answer and instead looked down into the alley with a frown. Following his brothers stare they all looked down into the alley to see a woman being cornered by four men. Raph growled angrily and pulled out his sais, spinning them as he jumped onto the ledge of the building.

"Let's teach em' a lesson they ain't gonna ferget." As he made a move to jump down Leo grabbed his arm stopping him.

"Hold up Raph." The hot-headed brother shot Leo a warning glare but turned his gaze back to the alley taking notice that someone else was entering.

Raph smirked when her voice drifted up to them with a bold 'assholes' but turned towards the rest of his family. "We jus' gonna let 'er get killed?" Master Splinted stepped forward to watch the scene below them with a small frown stroking his chin.

"We shall see what transpires. But be ready to help if the situation calls for it." Something about the girl down there was different. The boldness and confidence she clearly held made him curious along with something else he couldn't quite place.

The next few moments were of them watching her kick the snot out of the men leaving her and the other woman (almost) completely unscathed.

Raph let out a low whistle only the five of them could hear.

"Wow, I think I'm in love." Mikey rested his chin in his hands as he stared down at the retreating figure of the girl in the alley.

"Whoever that was knew some pretty good moves." Don agreed as he too watched her retreat back onto the street.

Splinter nodded his head before looking at each of his sons. "Seeing as things are handled here, let us continue our run."

* * *

A gentle nudging to her ribs slowly brought Leah to her senses. Trying to ignore the sensation she grumbled warningly to the offender bothering her. The nudging became more persistent and Leah finally had to open her eyes to stare accusingly at her friend Brianna.

"Damn it Bree, I was sleeping."

"Yea, and class ended ten minutes ago."

Leah's head shot up to take notice of the now empty Calculus classroom. "Shit! Did Shepard see me?"

Bree laughed at Leah's response before starting to walk towards the door. "Girl, the whole class saw you." Leah stood up, stretching and swung her backpack onto her shoulder and followed her friend out the door. "And it's not like it matters too much. You don't even need to be here to pass the tests, and Professor Shepard knows that."

Leah rubbed the back of her head grumbling. "If only he didn't take attendance, then I wouldn't have to come to this stupid class except for tests."

Bree let out a fake, hurt gasp. "But then you wouldn't see me!"

Leah rubbed her chin as if considering that as a valid option.

Bree let out another pained gasp, bringing her hand to her forehead. "And after everything I do for you, this is the thanks I get?" The girls both laughed at Bree's dramatics.

"Yea, I guess you make it worth it."

The two girls continued out of the math building and headed towards the subway station chatting the whole way. Bree was one of Leah's best friends from college and the only one who had a slight inkling to what Leah's real life entailed. Due to some of her father's friend in high places, her identity was a well-kept secret. While she was always on guard for possible threats, very few people would be able to recognize and label her as Leah Cruso. That meant, aside from her home life and occasional "fieldtrips," she lived a relatively normal life.

The two girls rode the train together until Bree's stop came up where they parted ways for the weekend.

When Leah's stop came up she hopped off the train and began the walk towards her current residence. It was a relatively quiet night in New York City considering it was only nine o'clock on a Friday night, but she wasn't complaining. After a camping trip in the mountains when she was twelve she had discovered she was much more of a nature girl. The noise and smells of the city had always bothered her, despite her father's insistence that she would get used to it. Yet she still felt a sort of comfort from the tall buildings and rushing cars.

Hearing some mumbles from a nearby alley instantly drew Leah's attention away from her pleasant thoughts. Stopping to look into the dark passage she saw four men cornering a lone woman who was backed up against a wall offering them her money and jewelry. Leah instantly scowled at the act and began approaching the group. Aside from the fact these men wanted more than just money, she just couldn't stand when people ganged up on anyone else. There was such a thing as honor, even among the low lives of New York.

"Please, don't hurt me." The woman begged her muggers.

Goon One placed one hand by her head and leaned in so he was inches from her face. "Come on, sweetheart. We just want to have a little fun." The other three began to laugh and talk about what they were going to do to her. Hearing the men and knowing where this was heading for her she burst into tears, trembling.

"Hey, assholes!" Sick of the display before her, Leah made her presence known to the group. "The lady wants nothing to do with you, so pull your heads out of your asses and move on." The good thing about growing up with a gang based 'family' was knowing how, and having the guts, to talk to common street thugs.

Goon two stepped forward not put off by her harsh words. "Well what do we have here? Looks like someone wants to play hero." He pulled out a knife flipping it once for dramatic affect before holding it threateningly towards Leah. "If ya don't want to get hurt, I suggest you move on girlie. Or if you're that insistent we can play with you next." Leah just scoffed at his antics and removed her backpack, tossing it towards an alley wall.

"Please. I could take you all on blind folded." She smiled smugly and signaled for them to bring it on.

Goon three moved forward aiming a rather lazy punch at her head, clearly expecting little resistance from the smaller female. In one swift move she pushed his hand to the side, using the added momentum of his own punch to make him fall forwards and brought her knee up and into his stomach. With a groan he fell to his knees clutching his wounded stomach before she delivered a quick chop to the back of the neck knocking him unconscious. Normally she would play around for a while but she wasn't in the mood to deal with these sickos.

Letting out angry growls at their fallen comrade, goon two and four ran at her. They're moves were clumsy, proving they weren't even on Purple Dragon level on the threat meter. With an irritated sigh she side stepped the knife that was lashed out at her and spun under a punch from goon four ending up with her back towards the man. Thrusting her elbow back she hit him in the chest before reaching up and grabbing his head flipping him over her and onto his back with a loud 'whap'. She barely ducked the next knife attack that swiped at her cheek, nicking it slightly. Letting out a low growl at the contact she waited for the next stab motion to grab his wrist with one hand and then use her other hand to slam into his elbow. She smiled at the confirming crack that she had broken the limb and his yowl of pain. Releasing his wrist she watched as he stumbled backwards cradling the broken appendage before tuning and running out of the alley.

Turning her gaze back to goon one and the woman, both seemed to be frozen to the spot staring at what had just happened. As if something finally clicked the woman bolted past the last goon and ran towards the alley entrance. She whispered a small 'thank you' but otherwise left without another word. Leah and the goon locked eyes for a moment before she finally spoke. "So what's it going to be?"

He seemed to contemplate her question before bolting forward and aiming powerful punches at her head. They played a brief game of cat and mouse as he threw punches and she ducked and weaved avoiding them. Finally finding a good opening she lashed out with a powerful uppercut to his jaw knocking him back, immediately following with a roundhouse to the side of his head, successfully rendering him unconscious.

Dusting her hands off and brushing the blood from her cheek, she headed back to her backpack and swung it onto her shoulder once again heading out of the alley. "Losers."

**I'm not very good at fight scenes so this is my practice. I'm also struggling with my later chapters on writing the turtles in their characters. It's a lot more difficult than I thought and I'm trying to keep them true to their personalities. So what can I do to improve?**


End file.
